Destroyer v Dive bomber

23rd May 1941: HMS Kelly, under the command of Lord Louis Mountbatten, eventually loses a battle to evade the bombers by sharp manouvering

A photograph taken by a German airman recording the sinking of the cruiser HMS GLOUCESTER off Crete, on 22nd May .

The Royal Navy had sunk large numbers of German troop ships and Greek caiques bringing reinforcements to the airborne invaders. In doing so, they had suffered significant losses. The Luftwaffe dominated the air, and Stuka divebombers were able to bomb any ship at sea within range of the mainland.

As the battle of Crete intensified, the guns of the Royal Navy were now needed to support land operations.

HMS KELLY, a K-class destroyer built in 1938 by Hawthorne Leslie. HMS KELLY was sunk by German aircraft off Crete on 23rd May 1941.

The destroyers HMS Kelly, HMS Kipling and HMS Kashmir were under the command of Lord Louis Mountbatten. In a well-publicised action, he had saved HMS Kelly from near-certain sinking just a year earlier.

HMS Kelly (F01) after being torpedoed in the North Sea on 9th May 1940. She was struck by the German torpedo boat S-31, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hermann Opdenhoff. This photograph was taken from the destroyer HMS Gallant (H59) as she moved in to assist.

Just about 8 a.m. we suddenly saw 24 ominous black objects.

On 23rd May, Mountbatten was directed to Crete, where they were to bombard Maleme airfield, which had just been captured by German airborne troops, in support of a counter-attack by British forces. HMS Kipling developed steering problems and was detached. Mountbatten’s account comes from a letter to his sister Louise, Queen of Sweden¹:

As we entered Canea Bay a large caique was sighted loaded with German troops steering towards Crete. Both ships opened fire and sank her very quickly, the wretched Germans jumping into the water in full marching order. In any other circumstances we would have stopped to pick them up, but even at 30 knots it was doubtful if I could get into position to carry out the bombardment in time, so I had to push on.

We hadn’t got the exact position of the aerodrome, but worked out from a contour map where the airstrip must be. After having completed our bombardment we withdrew at high speed and came across another caique carrying ammunition. Shortly after we started firing at her she blew up in a very spectacular way.